billings etal



c. BILLINGS ET AL 2,899,717

CLOSURE MEANS FOR A CABINET OR THE LIKE Filed Sept. 28, 1956 Aug. 18, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l Lye ZIZLUTE Char/e3 51/0/2295 I a. {/4 g yzzwnaSP/aff H I g- 1959 c. K. BILLINGS ETAL 2, 9

'. i i k CLOSUREMEANS FOR A CABINET OR THE LIKE Filed Sept. 28,1956 Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Char/e5 ff. Bil/1 12 5 0 EymozzoiP/aff 1 Elana172237.15

2,899,717 Patented Aug. 18, 1959 CLOSURE MEANS FOR A CABINET GK THE LIKE Charles K. Billings, St. Joseph, and Raymond S. Piatt,

Benton Harbor, Mich, assignors to Whirlpool (Iorporation, a corporation of Delaware Application September-28, U56, Serial No. 612,843

. 3. Claims. (Cl. 20-16) The present invention relates to improvements in door assemblies and especially to an irnproved latching arrangement for a door used as a closure means for a cabinet or the like.

In the use of home appliance cabinets such as are used for washers, driers and other domestic type of appliances, an access opening is generally provided having a door which is opened for access to the interior of the appliance and which is closed during operation. Since the location of the appliance will vary in each home where it is used, the position of the operator in opening and closing the door and in filling or emptying the interior through the access opening will also vary. Thus, a door having greater dexterity will greatly enhance the usefulness and attractiveness of the appliance. Further, a door which is more easily and readily opened and which can be opened from a plurality of directions will enable the appliance to be used more handily by the housewife. Also a door that can be completely removed from the appliance will considerably improve its usefulness on many occasions.

It is, therefore, an objective of the present invention to provide a door which can swing to open position in a plurality of directions and which can be completely removed from the appliance, if desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved door construction for an appliance cabinet or the like wherein the door can be opened with a slight manual pull and without having to exercise special finger manipulations or without having to apply pressure to some location on the handle to achieve a manual release of the latch. v

Another 'object of the invention is to provide an improved door assembly for a home appliance cabinet wherein the door is provided with an improved latching mechanism and an improved hinge mechanism which can be arranged to swing the door about either of two sides -or to remove the door completely from the cabinet.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved latch arrangement which when latched will also functionas a hinge for the door, and which is simplified in construction and operation and can be simply latched and unlatched.

Other objects and advantages will become more apparent with the complete disclosure of the preferred embodiment of the invention in the specification, claims and drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a cabinet top showing the door or lid in position;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken through the door at one side of the latching members along line 11-11 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an. enlarged sectional view taken along line IIIHI of Figure 1, the section line passing through the latch member;

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional View taken along line IV-'IV of Figure 1, the section line being along one side of the latch; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line VV of Figure 1.

In the preferred embodiment disclosed and illustrated herein, the invention is illustrated as being used in,a cover or lid for a cabinet or the like such as that may be used with a home appliance. It will be understood, however, that the invention may be used in other surroundings and environment and the features of the invention may take forms other than those shown in detail, and the preferred arrangement is shown by way of disclosure and not by way of limitation.

With reference to Figure 1, the cabinet is shown generally at it) having a top surface 12. Although the cabinet may take various forms and shapes, for the present description only one surface need be illustrated and this will be understood to be a surface facing in any position, but will be generally referred to as a top surface with a cover or lid closing the opening, shown at 14, and the cover will also be referred to as a door.

The sheet metal, from which the cabinet is formed, is depressed in a generally rectangular shape surrounding the opening in order that the door 16 may set into the depressed portion and be flush with the surface 12.

The door to, is also formed of sheet metal, and it may be finished with an enamel or paint finish to have the same appearance as the cabinet. The edges of the door 16 are bent downwardly as shown at 18 and curved under at 29 to form a smooth edge for the door and form a rigid structure.

As illustrated in Figure 1, the door 16 sets into the recess 15 and is pivotal about the left side 17 or the right side 18 as is illustrated in the drawing. Furthermore, if the door is not pivoted about either of these edges, it can be removed completely from the opening 14 by being lifted directly upwardly. The combination latch and hinge arrangement which permits pivoting about either side or complete removal from the opening will now be described.

The door is pivoted on a pintle rod 28 which also acts as a keeper rod 28. A similar pintle and keeper rod is provided for each side of the door and, therefore, only one need be described in detail. The keeper rod 28 is supported at .each end by a metal support post 29, which extends through an opening in the metal apron 19, which is an extension of the cabinet metal forming the recess 15, in which the door 16 is positioned. The supporting posts 29 are secured in the apron 1% by nuts 29a. The posts are positioned at each end of the rod as may be observed in Figure l.

When the door 16 is in closed position, it is latched at each side to the combination keeper and pintle rod 23. Two sliding latches 26 are provided at each side of the door for holding the door to the keeper rod 28 and are supported in latch blocks 24. The latch blocks carry a. hook member 48 which extends between them and carries a slot 48a to receive the keeper rod 28. The slot is closed by the sliding latches 42, which project beneath the keeper rod 28 to retain it in the slot 48a of the hook 48. The latch blocks are secured in place on the underside of the door 16. It will be seen from Figures 2, 3 and 4, that the door may be pivoted about either of the keeper rods 28. When the right side 18 of the door is to be pivoted upwardly, the right hook 43 is lifted off the right keeper rod 28 and the door pivots about the left keeper rod 28. When the left side 17, of the door, is to be pivoted upwardly, the left hook 43 is lifted off the left keeper rod 28 and the door pivots about the right keeper rod 28. As may be seen from the drawings, the rods 28 are free of obstructions at their sides so that first one side of the door may be released and lifted and then the other side to completely remove the door.

though two sliding latches are provided, the separate latches being shown in Figures 3 and 4, they are of the same construction and are numbered the same and described interchangeably. For retaining the door in place and holding the rod 23 in the slot 48a, the forward tapered end 42 of the latch 26 extends beneath the keeper rod 28. To support the latch, it is carried on a support block 40 and urged into locking position by a spring 44. The spring pushes against the base of the latch 26 and bottoms against the base of the cylindrical opening 27, in the block 24, Figure 4, in which the latch 26 slides. A bolt 40 is threaded into the base of the latch 26 and has a head 41 which limits the movement of the latch as urged by the spring 44. The head 41 abuts a vertical wall 6% which is a part of the handle 60, to be described later. The vertical wall 601: has an opening in it through which the bolt 4%) slides to guide the latch 26 in its movement between latched and unlatched position. Since two latches are used, two bolts 40 are provided sliding in the wall 6% on opposite sides of the finger grips 50 of the handle.

It is to be noted that the outer end 42 of the latch 26 has a tapered face. This tapered face projects beneath the keeper rod 28, a distance of substantially not more than one half of the diameter of the keeper, so that it engages the keeper rod on one side of the center of the rod. This will permit the lower rounded surface of the keeper 28 to cam the latch 26 rearwardly and permit the keeper rod 28 to slide out of the slot 48a when the door is lifted upwardly. The tapered surface 42 of the latch aids in the camming action against the lower rounded surface of the keeper 28. The head 41 of the bolt 40 limits the movement of the latch 26 so that it will not project too far beneath the keeper 28.

While only one latch member 26 is necessary, the present embodiment utilizes one on each side of the handle member 60. The hook 48 extends completely across the handle member 60, so as to provide an adequate support for the door and maintain it in alignment with the axis of the keeper rod 28, to thereby maintain the door in alignment with the rod when it is swung back in pivotal movement about the rod. The blocks 24, which support the latch members 26, and which integrally carry the hook member 48, are separated and extend back from the hook member 48 on each side of the handle and are secured beneath the door by being secured to the handle member 6%). If desired, the hook 48 may be separated into two spaced hooks, one supported by each of the latchsupporting blocks 24.

The handle 60 is rectangular in shape and extends downwardly through the rectangular opening 22, Figures 3 and 4, which extends through the door 16. The central portion of the handle is open and leads downwardly to a curved wall 6% which permits the user to insert his hand through the opening in the door. At one side of the open center of the handle is a vertical wall 601) in which is provided a semi-spherical depression 50 to provide a finger grip for the user. Vertical walls 6tlf60f, join the ends of 66b and 6592. It will be seen that with two similar semi-spherical finger grips on each of the handles, 60 on the left side of the cover, and 61 on the right side of the cover, that the operator can grip either side of the cover and pivot it back about the other side or can lift the entire cover pulling it away from the cabinet top 12. At the upper edge of the handle member is a raised edge or frame to provide a finished protective edge for the rectangular opening 22 in the cover. This frame has an upper ridge 60d with an outer face 6% leading down to the cover, and an inner face 63c leading inwardly from the edge 60b and joining the walls 692 and 60b. The

handle is assembled with the cover by forcing it down into the rectangular opening 22 of the cover. The latch supporting blocks 24 are next attached by means of the screws 40, shown in Figure 5, which are threaded through the vertical walls 60b of the cover. Each latch supporting block 24 is resiliently clamped against the lower surface of the cover 16 by Z-clips 36. A screw 30, Figure 5, is threaded into the latch supporting block 24 and extends through a hole 36c in one foot 36b of the Z-clip 36. The other foot 36a resiliently pushes against the lower surface of the cover 12 to pull the block 24 resiliently downwardly. Since the block is firmly attached by the screws 40 to the handle member 69, the handle will then be pulled down tightly against the top of the cover to draw the flange tightlyinto place against the upper cover surface.

Each of the handle members is provided with slots at opposite sides to receive rubber bumper members 66. These bumper members project above the upper ridge 60 of the handle and will engage the cabinet if the cover is swung completely back about one hinge to prevent marring the cabinet. Also, since the rubber bumpers 66 are quadrilaterally arranged, they will support the complete cover if it is removed from the opening and inverted and placed on a flat surface.

Although the operation of the cover and the associated latch and hinge members is now believed clear from the description of the individual elements and their cooperative function with the other elements, a summary of operation will be helpful in understanding the attainments and achievements of the invention. The cover 16 is located in a recess 15 in the surface 12 of the cabinet for a home appliance or the like. The cover is pivotally and removably supported at each end on a combined pintle rod and keeper rod 28. Each of the keeper rods extends parallel to the plane of the door and to each other so that the door will pivot on the rod away from the opening. The door is connected to the keeper rods 28 by a hook member 48 containing a slot 48a in which the latch 21% is positioned. The slot 48a is closed by sliding latch members 26, each of which is held in latched position by spring 44. The travel of the latch member 26 is limited by the head 41 of the bolt 40, which supports the latch 26. The latch is permitted to move a limited distance so that it will travel no further than one half of the diameter of the keeper rod 28. This will permit the latch 26 to be cammed rearwardly when a lifting force is applied to the cover normal to the cover surface. The tapered end 42 of the latch aids in the camming action and permits the door to be released. If, however, the door is :lifted at the side opposite the latch, it will act as a pivotal support for the door while the other latch will be released.

Thus, the door may be pivoted about either latch depending upon which side of the door is lifted. Also, the entire door can be lifted from the cabinet by the operator gripping both of the handles and lifting upwardly. As shown in the drawings, the rods 28 are longer than the ends of the hooks 48 and thus the door does not have to be accurately aligned when placed over the opening, but can be closed in a range of positions limited only by the ends of the rods.

Thus, it will be seen that I have provided an improved latch and hinge arrangement for a door which meets the objects and advantages which are hereinbefore set forth. The latch member is simple in structure and in operation and will not require attention or adjustment support for the cover and a finished attractive member for operating the door.

We have, in the drawings and specification presented a detailed disclosure of the preferred embodiments of our inventiombut it is tobe understood that we do not intend to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but

intend to cover all modifications, changes and alternative constructions and methods falling within the scope of the principles taught by our invention.

We claim as our invention:

1. In combination in a closure assembly for a cabinet or the like, a wall having an outer surface with a break in said surface definingan opening in the wall, an inwardly extending apron defining a throat within said opening positioned inwardly and recessed from the outer surface of the wall and extending inwardly from the wall opening to an inner edge defining an access opening within said wall opening, first and second keeper rods positioned within said wall opening with one of said rods at each side of the opening and said rods extending substantially parallel to each other, said rods located inwardly of said outer surface of the wall and between said wall surface break defining said wall opening and the inner edge of said apron and outwardly of the apron, a door adapted to close said access opening and having an outer edge of a dimension to pass into said wall opening and being larger than said access opening for closing the access opening to be positioned in juxtaposition to said apron, means mounted on said apron supporting said rods whereby said supporting means will be hidden behind the door in closed position, first and second hinge members attached to opposite sides of the door and on the inner surface thereof inside of the outer edge of the door, said hinge members having slots to fit over said keeper rods with the door in closed position, spring biased latch members supported on each side and on the inner surface of the door within the outer edge of the door and projecting to engage the keeper rods and hold the hinge slots over the rods, camming surfaces between the latch members and the keeper rods shaped to cam the latch members away from the rods to permit the hinge members to be removed from the rods with pressure on the door drawing it away from the access opening, and rigid handle members secured to each side of the door for applying pressure normal to the door surface for selectively opening either side of the door or removing the door from the wall opening.

2. In combination in a closure assembly for a cabinet or the like, a wall having an outer surface with a break in said surface defining an opening in the wall, an inwardly extending apron defining a throat within said opening positioned inwardly and recessed from the outer surface of the wall and extending inwardly from the wall opening to an inner edge defining an access opening within said wall opening, first and second keeper rods positioned within said wall opening with one of said rods at each side of the opening and said rods extending substantially parallel to each other, said rods located inwardly of said outer surface of the wall and between said wall surface break defining said wall opening and the inner edge of said apron and outwardly of the apron, a door adapted to close said access opening and having an outer edge of a dimension to pass into said wall opening and being larger than said access opening for closing the access opening to be positioned in juxtaposition to said apron, means for supporting said keeper rods, whereby said 6 supporting means will be hidden behind the door in closed position, first and second hinge members attached to opposite sides of the door and on the inner surface thereof inside of the outer edge of the door, said hinge members having slots to fit over said keeper rods with the door in closed poistion, spring biased latch members supported on each side and on the inner surface of the door Within the outer edge of the door and projecting to engage the keeper rods and hold the hinge slots over the rods, camming surfaces between the latch members and the keeper rods shaped to cam the latch members away from the rods to permit the hinge members to be removed from the rods with pressure on the door drawing it away from the access opening, and rigid handle members secured to each side of the door for applying pressure normal to the door surface for selectively opening either side of the door or removing the door from the wall opening.

3. In combination in a closure assembly for a cabinet or the like, a wall having an outer surface with a break in said surface defining an opening in the wall for access behind said wall, first and second keeper rods positioned within said wall opening with one of said rods at each side of the opening and said rods extending substantially parallel to each other, said rods located within said wall break defining the wall opening and positioned behind said outer surface of the wall, a door for closing said opening having an outer edge of dimensions to pass into said opening in adjacency to the wall break defining the opening, first and second hinge members attached on opposite sides of the door and on the inner surface thereof inside of the outer edge of the door, said hinge members having slots to fit over said keeper rods with the door in closed position, spring biased latch members supported on each side and on the inner surface of the door within the outer edge of the door and projecting to engage the keeper rods and hold the hinge slots over the rods, camming surfaces between the latch members and the keeper rods shaped to cam the latch members away from the rods to permit the hinge members to be removed from the rods with pressure on the door drawing it away from the access opening, and rigid handle members secured to each side of the door for applying pressure normal to the door surface for selectively opening either side of the door or removing the door from the wall opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 505,480 Pletcher Sept. 26, 1893 1,075,028 Frost Oct. 7, 1913 1,831,850 Epton et a1. Nov. 17, 1931 1,925,798 Epton et al Sept. 5, 1933 2,639,461 Fry May 26, 1953 2,690,799 Gerstenmaier Oct. 5, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 27,006 Australia May 31, 1930 

